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Steve Grad is the go-to appraiser of autographed items on A&E’s hit show, Pawn Stars. The Professional Sports Authenticator has been interested in famous autographs since he was 8 years old. That’s when caught the autograph-collecting bug from his aunt and his grandmother, who had met Herbert Hoover and Jackie Robinson. Grad got his first autograph from Richard Dotson, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1979-1987. And it’s still in his collection today.

Michael Osacky and Steve Grad

A few weeks ago in Chicago, Grad took time to talk to Parade about appraisers’ secret weapons for spotting fake autographs, the most obscure and valuable autographs and the worst forged autograph he’s ever seen.

Name one tool or “weapon in your arsenal” that you would recommend to any aspiring autograph collectors reading this article.

Proscope Mobile by Bodelin. You can attach this device to your iphone or iPad. It illuminates/enlarges the autograph and at the very least allows you to see if an autograph has live ink or not.

What are some of the most difficult autographs to authenticate?

The modern era autographs are extremely complicated to authenticate because the players don’t take the time/care to sign. It’s basically a scribble. Players used to take pride in their signature.

Is there any one player’s autograph that you see faked the most?

Mickey Mantle. There are more bad than good Mantle autographs.

What are some of the more obscure autographs that are valuable?

Herman Hill. Hill played 43 games for the Minnesota Twins. He drowned during the 1970 winter off-season.

What autographs do you personally collect?

I have some sports autographs but I am also a huge Star Wars fan.

What is the worst forged signature you have ever seen?

Babe Ruth signed in Sharpie. Ruth died in 1948. Sharpie wasn’t produced until 1973 or 1974.

What is the difference between a signature and an autograph?

They are used interchangeably. A legal document is technically considered a signature.

Are authenticators perfect?

No, and if somebody tells you they are, it’s not true. Nobody is perfect. I do make mistakes. One time, I looked at a Christy Mathewson signed baseball. I told the owner of the baseball it was not genuine. On my flight to the east coast, I started thinking about that Mathewson signature. I then reviewed other known authentic signatures in my database. Turns out, it was real. I called back the owner who was very happy to find out it was genuine.

Want to get your items appraised? Find Grad’s schedule here, and be on the lookout for educational videos that will help people understand what they have and how to buy better.